Shuffleboard lubricant



Patented Nov. 1, 1949 SHUFFLEBOARD LUBRICANT Carmine Decepoli, Belleville, N. J assignor of one-half to Joseph D. Cacciarelli, Nutley, N. J.

No Drawing. Application March 18, 1948, Serial No. 15,729

8 Claims. 1

My invention relates to a new and novel composition for treating shuilleboard surfaces and the like.

One purpose of my invention is to provide a composition that will, when applied to the surface of a shuflleboard or similar game board, reduce the sliding friction between it and a weight or game piece moving thereon. Another purpose is to furnish a composition that resists the adverse effects of a humid atmosphere and continues to perform its function in a uniform manner. Still another object is to give longer lasting benefits from a single application of such composition. Other objects will appear from the description which follows.

Heretofore, to increase the speed of weights sliding over a shufiieboard surface, and to protect the finish of such a surface, various materials have been used, generally wax and a meal ground from corn, rye, barley or nut shells. These meal and Wax compositions require frequent renewal on a shufiieboard surface, particularly in damp weather when moisture is absorbed by them, resulting in a slow board. My composition eliminates these disadvantages and gives a lubrieating effect between the board surface and the weights passing over it with the result that a much faster board is obtained.

My composition is a mixture of organic plastic beads and the conventional wax and meal mix ture, proportioned so that the beads, acting like ball bearings, are held in loose arrangement by the finer material. Used alone, the plastic beads make a board entirely too fast for playing and in addition they scatter and fly off the playing board surface. With the meal as a filler they furnish the desired lubrication and are restrained from leaving the playing surface.

The beads may be of organic plastic of either the thermo setting or thermo plastic type and of spherical, spheroidal, egg or rice grain shape. Sharp or granular shapes are not desirable. I prefer to use polystyrene beads since I find them of the desired forms, tough and smooth, although I have used other organic plastic beads with good effect. By screening the plastic beads I secure the desired uniformity in size and prefer to use commercially available polystyrene beads that pass a #40 U. S. Standard screen and at least 80% of which are retained on a #60 screen.

The wax and meal mixture is prepared by any of the usual methods currently employed. I prefer to use corn meal of such particle size that all passes a #40 U. S. Standard screen and all is retained on a #90 U. S. Standard screen. Gen- 2 erally parafiin and carnauba Wax in a Wax solvent are added to the meal and the mix is then tumbled, dried on driers in a steam room and subsequently cooled. When this mix is cold, the plastic beads are added and thoroughly mixed with the waxed meal.

I generally use a composition containing approximately 10% of polystyrene beads by weight, graded as hereinbefore described, and 90% by weight of the waxed meal. A lesser percentage of beads makes the game board slower, a greater percentage makes it faster but may be used if such results are desired.

My composition is applied to a shuflieboard surface in the customary manner and not only gives a better lubricated surface of more lasting quality, but it gives a cushioning effect between colliding weights. This arises from the action of some of the beads which under motion bound and rebound and get between colliding weights cushioning them and reducing the sound of the impact.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that there are many specific embodiments of my invention and I do not limit myself to the examples given.

What I claim is:

1. A composition for the lubrication of shuffleboard surfaces and the like comprising polystyrene beads of substantially uniform size, Wax and a grain meal.

2. A composition for the lubrication of shuffleboard surfaces and the like comprising polystyrene beads, all of which pass a #40 U. S. Standard screen, a wax and a grain meal.

3. A composition for the lubrication of shuflleboard surfaces and the like comprising a mixture of polystyrene beads all of which pass a #40 U. S. Standard screen and are retained on a U. S. Standard screen, a wax and a grain meal, wherein the polystyrene beads constitute 5% to 15 by weight of such mixture.

4. A composition for the lubrication of shuffleboard surfaces and the like comprising polystyrene beads of substantially uniform size, wax, and corn meal.

5. A composition for the lubrication of shufileboard surfaces and the like comprising polystyrene beads, all of which pass a #40 U. S. Standard screen, a wax, and corn meal.

6. A composition for the lubrication of shufiieboard surfaces and the like comprising a mixture of polystyrene beads all of which pass a #40 U. S. Standard screen, a wax, and corn meal,

3 wherein the polystyrene beads constitute 5% to by weight of such mixture.

7. A composition of matter comprising an in timate mixture of polystyrene beads all of which pass a U. S. Standard screen and at least of which are retained on a #80 U. S. Standard screen, a wax, and corn meal all of which passes a #40 U. S. Standard screen and is retained on a U. S. Standard screen.

8. A composition of matter comprising an in- 10 timate mixture of polystyrene beads all of which pass a #40 U. S. Standard screen and at least 80% of which are retained on a #80 U. S. Standard screen, a wax, and corn meal all of which passes a #40 U. S. Standard screen and is retained on a #90 U. S. Standard screen wherein the polystyrene beads constitute 5% to 15% by weight of such mixture.

CARMINE DECEPOLI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 910,569 Peco Jan. 26, 1909 1,389,391 Steidle Aug. 30, 1921 2,191,520 Crawford Feb. 27, 1940 2,265,242 Marks Dec. 9, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 427,494 Great Britain Apr. 25, 1943 OTHER REFERENCES Hohenstein, India Rubber World, June 1944, pp. 291-294 and 300.

Siggia, India Rubber World, Jan. 1945, pp. 436-441. 

